The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Known end-effectors attached to robotic apparatuses are used to manipulate a workpiece during manufacturing processes. Applications of robotic apparatuses with end-effectors may encompass material handling, manufacturing, packaging, and testing. An end-effector includes tool modules that grip a workpiece, transport the workpiece to a new location, and orient and release the workpiece. The end-effector is preferably adjustable to permit use with workpieces of multiple designs, including adjusting the tool modules. It is known to adjust an end-effector for use with workpieces of multiple designs by manually adjusting locations and orientations of the tool modules. Manually adjusting tool modules is known to consume time and may be prone to errors.
Known workpieces handled by an end-effector include parts or sheet metal panels that are shaped in three-dimensional forms and have large changes of slope and elevation. It may be impractical to design an end-effector with excessively large height extension and swivel angle for tool modules that self-conform to a workpiece.
An end-effector may be connected to a robotic arm with a master boom and adapter to move a workpiece into and out of an associated processing station such as a stamping machine and associated dies. A flat end-effector frame with a straight boom may interfere with the dies and machine frames during movement of a workpiece due to limitations in machine workspaces, e.g., die opening dimensions and three-dimensional die shapes.
End-effectors include dress packages that house and route conduits to each of the tool modules to conduct power, in the form of vacuum, compressed air, hydraulic fluids, and electricity to activate and deactivate vacuum cups, mechanical grippers, or other workpiece interface tools that are mounted on the ends of the tool modules. Known dress packages are tie-wrapped or otherwise attached onto the frame of the end-effector. A change or reconfiguration of a tool module on an end-effector requires releasing the tie-wraps to effect such a change. Other known dress packages for tool modules mounted on end-effectors include the hoses loosely held with some slackness for adjustment or movement of gripping components. Hoses and power cables designed to permit a wide range of motion of one of the tool modules may tangle and interfere with other hoses and power cables. Issues related to dress packaging include permitting setup flexibility for the end-effector and the tool modules, uninterrupted mobility of the end-effector during operation, machine setup time during reconfiguration for a workpiece, and maintainability during life of the equipment.